To express ideas and provoke thought. Trying my best to either write something worth reading or do something worth writing about!

Tuesday, 19 August 2014

A Golden Chapter – Comprehensive, Connected and Resilient

It’s been a while between blogs but for
good reason I think. The last few months have been some of the most challenging
but rewarding of my life. I started writing this blog on the way home from the
Commonwealth Games in Glasgow where the Kookaburras once again proved why we
are amongst the best sporting teams in the world. We successfully defended the
Commonwealth Games title we won back in Delhi in 2010, and only months after
regaining what is the greatest prize in our sport outside of the Olympic Games,
the Hockey World Cup.

Three words sum these last few months up
for me; comprehensive, connected and resilient, and today’s blog will explain
why. Because although we’ve seemingly blown everyone away over the last few
months, this period hasn’t been without its difficulties. And even though this
blog could easily centre around our obvious on-field success so far this year,
it wont. It will showcase the commitment and class of a few guys in the side that
epitomise the team first mentality this group has adopted over the last few years and the bonds we have forged because of it. This is how you build a platform for success...

On the eve of the World Cup two of our
teammates and form players, Glenn Simpson and Russell Ford, were ruled out after
sustaining injuries only days before the tournament was due to begin. Simmo
copped a nasty whack on the ankle in a warm-up game v England resulting in a
break. Rusty took off on a lead in our last practice game v Germany only to
feel something wrong with his calf, it was a tear.

I will never forget the feeling in the room
when Ric had to deliver the news to the team that Glenn and Russ had been ruled
out of the World Cup. I’m not usually one to use superlatives that compare
sport to war and battle because they are nothing alike, but this was as tough a
moment as I’ve ever endured, it was heartbreaking. Everyone’s face was plastered
with devastation. Russ had tears in his eyes, Simmo was stoic but you could
tell he was clearly shattered as well, yet neither of them let their emotions
hijack the situation. And if someone had of walked into the room right then, they
would have stumbled upon one of the defining moments of our trip. A moment when
20 blokes were unified - truly connected - by what had just happened.

I look back now and still wonder how the
hell we all pulled it together so well. Partly because we had prepared so well for
such an instance. We’d spent many late nights discussing endless possibilities,
dealing with our feelings, talking things over and learning to understand each other
and how we should react to potential events of this nature. But the main reason
we got on with the job so well was the attitude of the boys directly involved.
Obviously it was an extremely difficult situation but such is the nature of
Simmo and Russ, they didn’t let it impact on the team and as such should be
applauded for their resilience. They were all class and although
they missed the tournament, they were a huge part of the team’s success. That afternoon set the scene for what would be a memorable few weeks.

But from great tragedy comes great
opportunity. Enter Tim Deavin and Matt Gohdes. Both boys were travelling with
the side in the lead up to the tournament in the off chance that they may be
needed if something went wrong. It says a lot about the character of both of
them, knowing that their dream was so close yet still out of reach when we took
off for The Hague. They ate, slept, trained, recovered and attended meetings
with the rest of the team; all the while knowing that ultimately they would be leaving
the day the tournament began. But they were called on and they both delivered
in spades. It can’t have been easy but both of them slotted straight into the
side and had a huge impact on what is one of our sport’s biggest stages. Bravo
boys!

The World Cup was everything it was billed
to be. In my opinion, the greatest hockey nation in the world hosted the
greatest hockey event the world has ever seen. The stadium was colossal. The
fans were loud and passionate. The city embraced each nation and showcased all
the good things about our sport. And as a team, we may have finally lived up to
our considerable potential. We stood on the podium with our gold medals and
were as close to exceptional as I think we’ve ever been. We had just
annihilated the Dutch 6-1 in the final to cap off an undefeated
tournament. This might have even pleased
Ric Charlesworth, not for long though I’m sure.

But before the dust could even settle on
the greatest moment of our careers, our coach and two of our most senior
players decided to call it quits. Ric said he’d had enough and perhaps the fire
that'd burnt so brightly in him for so long had finally began to fade. Team
mainstays Liam De Young and Rob Hammond announced their retirement’s
days later and so ended three outstanding Kookaburra chapters. There was plenty of
emotion flying around that’s for sure.

But the rollercoaster had only just started
to rev up. Our Commonwealth Games team was then announced and many new faces
were included. Jamie Dwyer was left out in what can only be described as a
decision with the future in mind, even though I still think he is amongst the
best 16 players in the country. But as the team showed in Glasgow, the future
is bright. We had 10 Commonwealth Games debutants and a 4-0 result in the final
again capped off another undefeated run. New faces announced themselves, guided
by the experience of others who had been there before. And the tournament was
fun! I thoroughly enjoyed every moment of Glasgow and it puts an exclamation
point on the best few months of my hockey career to date.

And what is most incredible and outstanding
for me is the fact that we did what any great team does, we defended our titles
and we did it comprehensively. We are the worlds best and I for one am going to
spend the next few months letting that sink in. There’s only one thing missing
from the trophy cabinet now…

Cheers guys,

Orch

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Thanks to Voodoo Hockey Australia – best sticks
in the business!

***Whilst writing this blog I was listening to Milky Chance's album - Sadnecessary. Check it out : D